It is a dozen years since I acquired my home in Olney. Conveyancing lawyers have just been retained on the sale but I am unable to locate my deeds. Will this cause complications?

You need not be too concerned. Firstly there is a chance that the deeds will be retained by your lender or they may be archived with the lawyers who acted in your purchase. Secondly in most cases the property will be recorded at the land registry and you will be able to prove you own the property by your conveyancing lawyers procuring up to date copy of the land registers. Almost all conveyancing in Olney relates to registered property but in the rare situation where your property is not registered it is more problematic but is not insurmountable.

I am thinking of remortgaging my apartment in Olney, does my lawyer have to be on the HSBC Solicitor panel?

There is nothing to stop you using your solicitor, but HSBC will insist on their interests being represented by a firm on their conveyancing panel. There is greater potential for delays and confusion with two solicitors involved, and it will undoubtedly be more expensive too.

I have been told that property searches are the number one cause of obstruction in Olney house deals. Is there any truth in this?

The Council of Property Search Organisations (CoPSO) published determinations of a review by MoveWithUs that conveyancing searches do not figure within the common causes of hindrances in the conveyancing process. Local searches are not likely to be the root cause of holding up conveyancing in Olney.

Me and my brother have a semi-detached Edwardian house in Olney. Conveyancing lawyer acted for me and The Royal Bank of Scotland. I happened to do a free search for it on the Land Registry database and I saw two entries: the first freehold, another for leasehold under the matching address. I'd like to know for sure, how can I find out??

You should assess the Freehold register you have again and check the Charges Register for mention of a lease. The best way to be sure that you are also the registered owner of the leasehold and freehold title as well is to check (£3). It is not completely unheard of in Olney and other areas of the country and poses no real issues for owners other than when they buy they have to account for both freehold and leasehold interests when dealing with buyers. You can also enquire as to the situation with the conveyancing solicitor who completed the work.

I've found a house that appears to meet my requirements, at a reasonable figure which is making it more attractive. I have subsequently discovered that it's a leasehold rather than freehold. I would have thought that there are issues buying a leasehold house in Olney. Conveyancing advisers have are soon to be instructed. Will my lawyers set out the risks of buying a leasehold house in Olney ?

The majority of houses in Olney are freehold and not leasehold. In this scenario it’s worth having a local conveyancer used to dealing with such properties who can help the conveyancing process. It is clear that you are buying in Olney so you should seriously consider looking for a Olney conveyancing solicitor and check that they are used to dealing with leasehold houses. First you will need to check the unexpired lease term. Being a leaseholder you will not be at liberty to do whatever you want with the house. The lease comes with conditions such as obtaining the freeholder’spermission to conduct changes to the property. You may also be required to pay a maintenance charge towards the upkeep of the estate where the property is located on an estate. Your conveyancer should appraise you on the various issues.

Olney Leasehold Conveyancing - A selection of Queries before buying

This question is important as a) areas may cause problems for the building as the communal areas may start to deteriorate if repairs remain unpaid b) if the leaseholders have an issue with the running of the building you will wish to have complete disclosure How long is the Lease? The best form of lease arrangement is a share of the freehold. In this scenario the tenants enjoy control and even though a managing agent is often employed where the building is larger than a house conversion, the managing agent is directed by the tenants.